


Little white pills

by myotishia



Series: Thin ice [9]
Category: Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 06:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21315757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: A man who seemingly starved to death under his own volition grab the attention of Torchwood.(slight trigger warning for mentions of disordered eating.)
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Thin ice [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1465414
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	Little white pills

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

“We’re back.” Called Gwen, shrugging off her jacket. “We bring lunch and glow sticks.”

Ianto took the boxes from Elise, who had offered to carry everything. “I remember ordering lunch but not glow sticks.”

She chuckled. “We popped by the music shop so Elise could pick up an order and they’d been given a load of those LED glowsticks for free. They couldn’t sell them so they gave them away.”

“How many?”

“I think the box said fifty.” Elise grinned, much more excited than anyone should be about flashing lights. 

“What are you going to do with fifty LED glow sticks?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Want one?”

“What colours have you got?” 

“Blue, white, green and red.”

“Save me a red one.” 

“Will do. Anything happen while we were gone?”

“Got a few strange reports but we’re still checking how legitimate they are.”

“Oh?” 

“A headless horseman.”

“You’re kidding.”

“That’s all we’ve heard. Oh, and Owen has a new body. According to the officer who found him he looked like he’d starved to death but the kitchen was full. They did find a blister pack but it was empty and blank.”

“Lovely. I take it he’s avoiding it until after lunch.”

“Of course. Couldn’t possibly do anything on an empty stomach.” 

Owen was always annoyed when he ran into some sketchy lab testing their pharmaceuticals on humans. No matter how well informed the subjects thought they were it was never enough. He had one rule for human testing, if he wouldn’t test it on himself then he sure as hell wouldn’t be testing it on anyone else. It was one of the reasons the contraceptive implant took so long being as he couldn’t test it on himself. The man on his table was in a sad state. He’d obviously been starving himself for some time as his skin was loose and his muscles had started to be used by his body to keep itself alive. There was nothing in his digestive system bar water and even then he hadn’t been drinking much. Enough to take a couple of pills at most. There were no signs of him being held captive and as the house still had food in the kitchen his starvation was either due to sickness or it was self imposed. Owen hoped that the blister pack held some kind of residue. If the pills were just pressed then there would be but if the pills were coated or were actually gel capsules then there wouldn’t be anything but the coating transferred to the plastic. 

Tosh had been looking into the mans digital life. His browsing history showed multiple dieting and weight loss forums. His posts from the weeks before his death were positive and said he was making great progress with an appetite suppressant he’d received from his weight loss coach. He didn’t name the coach on the forums but his email account contained many emails from someone named Victor encouraging him to keep at his diet and exercise routine. She guessed that was the coach. The email address lead back to social media accounts belonging to a Victor Kyle Peters, a health blogger and anti GMO activist. He had hundreds of articles written about weight loss, exercise routines and detoxes from a myriad of things. Some of which Tosh was certain were made up. It looked like any information about the mystery pills was traded in person as there was no word online. They’d have to contact Victor directly so she sent his name and all the details she could find to Gwen. Why go interrogating people yourself when you have a fully trained ex police officer to do it. That or Jack could. He was always the best at charming answers out of people. That or scaring them out of people. She theorised it was about the kind of energy he carried. It could go from ‘take me now’ to ‘oh sweet jesus dont kill me’ in seconds and he seemed to have complete control over it. It almost made you forget what a dork he could be sometimes. Looking over to his office he was sitting with his feet up on his desk, throwing one of the LED glow sticks up into the air and catching it as the lights cycled through colours. He’d specifically asked for a blue one. To match his eyes. He stopped and sat up as Owen appeared, looking annoyed.

“No luck?” Jack asked.

Owen shook his head. “The blister pack only had sugar residue left and I can’t find what chemical could have caused this in his blood. There’s one thing that I’m still trying to work out. I’ve got a few tests still running but I’m starting to think this isn’t your typical weight loss drug. It’s not a parasite at least. Well…”

“Well?”

“There’s one thing but I don’t know how it would cause weight loss on that level unless… here.” Owen moved to his computer and brought up an image. Jack walked over to join him. 

“What am I looking at?”

“This is our mans blood. See those black dots? They’re metal. At first I thought the sample had been contaminated but after replacing it the new sample’s the same. I ruled out nano technology as they’re completely smooth and don’t seem to be doing anything but they might be acting less like robots and more like a programmable fluid. They’re not doing anything because he’s dead so they’ve fallen dormant.”

“Any way to be sure?”

“I’ve got a few rats who are about to have a bad day.”

Gwen wasn’t a fan of going to the gym outside of training. Mostly because she got more than enough exercise in the week without spending her free time running in place or lifting heavy objects. She didn’t know how Elise and Owen did it without ending up exhausted. Then again she suspected they didn’t know how relaxing worked. Jack joined her after convincing the secretary to call Victor to the foyer. 

“Done flirting?” She asked.

“I’m on my best behaviour. That’s why we’re not walking through, remember? I’m not allowed to browse.”

“We wouldn’t get any questioning done with you getting distracted.”

“Ianto lets me look.”

“Ianto’s a soft touch and you know it. Anyway, when he’s with you he keeps your attention most of the time.”

“He’s very distracting.” He grinned. 

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling. Jack really had fallen hard for Ianto. She was pretty sure it had happened after Ianto lost his girlfriend. They all knew what had happened now but back then it was a vague idea. Just a man grieving, traumatised by a run in with cannibals. Jack had been very protective over him during that time and many quiet meetings with Owen were had. For a while even Owen was careful with how he acted around Ianto, often quietly asking if he was holding up ok. Jack had spent so much time with him that they’d have to become close. No one guessed how close right away but after a few close calls and embarrassing moments it became very clear there was at least a physical relationship there. This was all when Elise was still pulling strings from the shadows and they didn’t even know who she was. Gwen wondered why she hadn’t warned them about the cannibals but it probably hadn’t been her decision. 

Victor walked into the foyer with a mix of irritation and confusion on his face.

“Mr Peters?” Gwen asked, recognising him immediately but wanting to stay polite.

“Urm, yes? How can I help you?” 

“I’m Gwen Cooper and this is Captain Jack Harkness. We’re here to talk to you about Perry Tailor.”

Victor smiled and relaxed a little. “Oh, yea, Perry. Last time I spoke to him he was doing great.”

“He was taking some kind of weight loss pill?”

“Yea. Well, it’s an appetite suppressant. One pill every three days and you just don’t feel the need to snack anymore.”

“Where did you get these pills?”

“Why? Is something wrong? Is Perry ok?”

Gwen sighed and shook her head. 

“He’s dead.” Jack said plainly, hoping to stop Victor developing a lie.

All colour drained from the mans face and he lent back against the front desk. “B-but… How?... He was doing so well. He was happy.” 

“We need to know where those pills came from Victor.” Gwen said calmly, resting a hand on his arm. He clearly hadn’t thought that the pills could do any harm. As much as a lot of his blog was nonsense he didn’t seem to be trying to scam anyone. He honestly believed everything he wrote. 

“Come on, sit down.” She guided him to one of the chairs to the side, holding his arm as he shook. This was why Jack tended to bring Gwen along on these things. She had a knack for de-escalating things and keeping situations civil. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t actually like having to fight for every last thing and was fully aware that humans could be stupid sometimes, especially when they found something new and interesting. 

Victor leaned forward, taking slow breaths. “I don’t feel right.”

“When was the last time you had a drink? Let’s get you some water, eh?” Gwen said, rubbing the mans arm. 

“Yes… Were those pills poisoned?”

“We don’t think so. Have you been taking them?”

“Just a couple of doses.”

Jack handed Gwen a bottle of water which she opened and encouraged Victor to drink. 

“What do you think?” She asked, looking up at the captain. 

“Let me see what Owen thinks.” He said, tapping his earpiece. “Owen, how’s the testing going?”

The doctors voice replied quickly. “It’s interesting, I’ll give you that. The metal came back to life once they had a living being to work in. They turn off the signals in your brain. You don’t get thirsty, hungry or tired. Problem is if you don’t eat, drink and sleep anyway the body still shuts down.”

“How long does it last?”

“I don’t know yet. Tosh is working on something to signal them to shut down.” 

“And that’s everything they do?”

“As far as I know.”

“Right. Keep at it.” He tapped his earpiece again, turning back to Gwen. “He’ll be fine as long as he eats, keeps his fluids up and sleeps.” He looked at Victor who was sipping from the bottle of water. “We still need to know anyone else you’ve given the pills to and where you got them from.”

Victor nodded. “Perry was the only one I gave them to. I got them from a health guru in Scotland but he said he sourced them from somewhere not far from here.” He pulled his phone from a strap around his arm and opened an email account under a different name. “Here, he says it’s somewhere up Welshpool way. He never said where exactly but do you think you could find out?”

Gwen nodded, writing the address down as she knew Tosh could easily track this other person through it. “Don’t worry, we’ve got it under control. For now, you just need to make sure you’re drinking enough water. Do you have any more of the pills?”

“Yea, just the ones in my bag. I’ll get them and you can have them if it’ll help.”

Owen was sat watching one of the rats he’d injected the metal cells into diligently create a burrow, not stopping for food or water. He’d even placed treats in there but the rat didn’t seem particularly interested. Tosh had been practically circling the room as she worked. 

“This is amazing. Each cell is like a single computer. It works in a similar way to our bio computer.” She enthused.

“That’s great, but how do we switch them off?” 

“Oh, yes, sorry. Well, the complexity of these liquid computers means that it isn’t a simple matter of on or off. I think if I can send them a signal to say that the body is dead then the dormant cells can just filter out naturally.”

“Shouldn’t we be worried about them getting into the water?” 

“I’m hoping that I can trick them into a permanent dormant state. Gwen says she’s got some of the pills themselves so I’ll have plenty to study and I won’t have to worry about them being damaged and maybe changing the results.” 

He looked up to see her smiling, completely absorbed in her work, and it sent a wave of warmth through him. He hadn’t had that feeling since before Torchwood, before his life fell apart. It was something he didn’t even realise he missed so much. 

“What?” She asked.

He shrugged. “Nothing.”

“What’s that face for then?”

“What face? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smiled, turning back to the rat. She rolled her eyes and trotted around behind him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Whatever it is, I hope it’s a good thing.”

Ianto handed a couple of photos of this headless horseman to Elise, wondering what she’d make of the dark and blurry images. 

“Can’t we clean them up?” She asked, holding them up to try and make out what she was being shown. 

“They are cleaned up.”

“Oh… Hmm, the light here means it’s either got something strapped to its sides or it’s got extra arms… We could go horseman hunting tonight if it’s got a specific area it haunts.” 

“If our other case doesn’t keep us too busy… How are you doing after our trip to the village of the damned?”

She sighed and shrugged, placing the photographs down. “Better I suppose. I’m trying not to let my paranoia get to me. Not being able to go anywhere alone isn’t helping.”

“You know that’s for your own safety.”

“I know. It doesn’t change that sometimes I’d like to be able to go for a walk or something on my own. I wonder… At this point am I just a liability? I mean you, Tosh and Owen are immortal now. Only Gwen could use my time travel and as Anwen gets older she won’t want to be here so much.”

“Elise. Don’t think like that.”

“Ianto, if that thing… If Asmodei somehow gets hold of my body. I need you to…”

“Don’t say it.”

“Please. Just in case. If all else fails. I need to know someone can end it.” 

“Elise.”

“Please.”

“What are you planning?” He stared her in the eye.

She shook her head. “I’m not. I just know that I have my limits and if he… If I break then I need to know I’m not dooming the world at least.” 

“It doesn’t mean you get to give up.”

“I won’t. I promise. I’ll fight with everything I have and I’ll come back somehow but… I need to be sure everyone’ll be safe while I’m gone.” 

“One condition.”

“Ok. Whatever you want.”

“Talk to one of us, any of us, when your paranoia gets too much. You can’t let it eat you away from the inside.”

She nodded slowly. “I’ll try.” 

Jack perched on his desk, looking through the photos. 

“I think I’ve seen this before.”

Ianto handed over Jacks second coffee of the day. “Oh?”

“Xzenterion. They’re what would happen if a scorpion, a lizard and a horse bred.”

“That’s a horrifying image.”

“They’re pretty nasty to face as well. They carry enough poison in one sting to kill an elephant.”

“So it’s something to take down from a distance.”

“If you can get it to stand still for more than a few seconds at a time. The only come out at night which makes picking them off an even bigger pain.”

“Elise offered to go hunting for it tonight.”

“I’ll deal with it, but I won’t say no to the company. Or the help in moving the thing. They’re one of the few creatures with both an exoskeleton and an endoskeleton. Actually hunting it down shouldn’t take too long though.” He sipped his coffee. “Unless you want to come along.”

“I’m always here if you need me sir.”

“It’ll be like weevil hunting again.”

“Am I interrupting?” Asked Gwen with a smile. 

Ianto walked off with a smirk on his face and Jack turned to her with his usual warmth. “No, no. What have you got?” 

“I think I’ve found the source for the weight loss pills.”

“Great, let’s go.”

“And get in the way of your hunting date? I wouldn’t dare. I’m going to invite little miss stir crazy.”

“Huh?”

“Elise. She’s getting a bit sick of having to have a babysitter all the time. I thought a change of scenery might help.”

“Isn’t Welshpool a bit close to the border for her?”

“That’s the thing. The area he was told about was wrong. It was a company address that lead to a vacant building.”

“So where is our source actually?”

“Carmarthen. The address I found is student accommodation just down from Trinity college. From what we know it’s well within Elises life range. Plus, with a little snooping in the university email system I’ve found where they’re getting this liquid from.” She grinned, very proud of herself.

“Crashed ship?”

“Nope.”

“Alien blood?”

“Nope.”

“What then?” 

“They’ve been grinding down rocks and adding the dust to sugar pills to scam people. They don’t even know what they’re doing.”

He chuckled lightly. “That’s an old fashioned con.”

“It’s amateur hour, that’s what it is. At least it’s something I can deal with.”

Tosh excitedly hopped up from her desk, unplugging what looked like a vial of water with a socket at one end. She took it to Owen who was still observing the infected rats. They’d moved on from the small burrow and had started what looked like an underground housing complex and showed no signs of stopping. 

“I’ve done it.” She said, holding out the vial. 

Owen looked up. “Great. Want to test it out?”

“Yes. It’s brilliant. I reprogrammed them like a computer virus. With only a drop it’ll rewrite the coding on every computer it comes into contact with and then they’ll do the same with the others. That way when they get into the water cycle it’ll just prevent any damage in the future.” 

“Let’s see how the rats feel about it, eh?” He took the vial and loaded a syringe before picking up one of the rats. It was used to being handled so it just sat there, twitching its whiskers, as the liquid was injected. Afterwards it was placed back and before it could get back to work it ran over to the water bottle, glugging down as much as it could. 

“Now to get it out to everyone who took those pills.”

“Easy. If I press some of this into pills and send them to whoever’s been exposed to the original, I doubt they’re going to question it too much.”

“Owen, do you know what this means?”

“What what means?”

“I can reprogrammed these computers to do anything. I could make them kill cancer cells, repair damage, even rebuild missing tissue.”

“Woah, woah, woah, calm down. Switching them off is one thing but for any of that you’d have to be certain there are no bugs in the code. Plus advanced computers do what they want and that always ends badly.”

“Isn’t it worth trying?”

“Well, yea. Just start small.”

“I will. I’ve got another batch I can test on so you can use that one.” 

“So,” Gwen began, her curious nature strengthened by the long trip. “You lived in Cardiff before, right?”

“Yea. Block of flats not far from work… Course it was very different from how it is now. The lad living just above me was always high on god only knows what. Next door was always fighting. Neighbours the other side got raided by the police more than once.”

“Must have been hard surrounded by all that.”

“I couldn’t afford anything better. I was alone.”

“I still don’t know how a girl, who looks like you do, was alone.”

Elise scoffed. “You actually have to socialise to date… Have friends.”

“I know things were bad with your mum but what about your dad? Couldn’t he help you?”

Elise took out her phone and brought up an old voicemail, pressing play. A male voice played over the speaker. “Hi Eli-bean. Happy birthday sweetheart. Your mum’s back from the hospital again. She’s been asking about you.”

A female voice in the background, distant and quiet, called out. “No I bloody haven’t. Unless she can send me all the money we spent bringing her sorry arse up she can die in a ditch!”

“Stop it!”

“You’re just as bad!”

“Sorry sweet heart. You know your mum’s still not well. We can’t afford her meds at the moment so she’s a bit … Well, you know. Why don’t you pop back? Both you and me working we could get your mum well again. I’ll call you later my love. Take care.” 

The message ended and Gwen understood. “I’m sorry. Sounds like he really loved you both.”

“He did.” Elise put her phone away. “That’s why I kept the message. I do miss him sometimes but he chose her over me. That was his decision.” She sighed deeply. 

“At least you’ve got a good life now. One you made for yourself.”

“Well, Tosh kind of made that for me. If she hadn’t vouched for me and taken me in I don’t know how things would have gone.” 

“None of us were sure you even existed when she talked about you after she first met you. Owen just rolled his eyes at her. He definitely didn’t believe you were real. Between you and me, when he did meet you I think he was a bit jealous.”

“Really? I was a mess.”

“Even so. Tosh was the only reason he wasn’t flirting with you from day one. She was the only person that could stop him.” She laughed. 

“He’s loved her for a long time. It’s nice knowing they have each other now.”

“And you.”

“Yea, I just mean I’m a new addition. It’s hard to believe that I've only been here for like a year. It feels like I’ve been here for decades and like I’ve only just got here.”

“You settled in well.”

“I’m pretty adaptable. Anyway, on to lighter things. How’s your family?”

“They’re fine. Rhys has moved to part time hours to spend more time with Anwen. She’s such a daddy's girl.”

“Aren’t all girls at that age? She’ll realise what a badass her mum is eventually.”

“Oh don’t. She’s started laughing at explosions on the telly.”

“Seriously?”

“Yea. We were worried about her being upset about fireworks but no, she thinks they’re the best.”

She laughed warmly. “I’m totally buying her a drum kit when she’s older.”

“You better bloody not. I’m going to have a hard enough time keeping her in the dark about my job without that migraine waiting to happen.”

“I could teach her. That or guitar? Keyboard?” 

“Guitar I wouldn’t mind. How do you have time for music?”

“I make time. I get the shakes if I don’t play for a while. Kind of why I needed the new sticks. I keep accidentally breaking the one I hold in my left hand.”

“Well that is some industrial force that thing can put out.”

“I suppose… Make a left here. I think that’s the accommodation.” 

“Looks like it. The address was on the second floor. Should we try and get a key from the front desk?”

“I thought we’d be finding the lad making the pills. Get him to show us where he’s picking up the rocks from.”

“We could start in the student union. Ask around.”

“Where there is alcohol the students will congregate.”

The student union bar wasn’t particularly busy but the barman was already set up for later that night. Gwen held up her phone with a picture of their pill seller on.

“That’s Ricky. Who’s he conned this time?” The barman asked, looking exasperated. 

“A few people but we just want to talk.”

“Tell him to knock it off. He’s over there in the back corner.”

“Thanks.” She turned and looked at the man working on a laptop in the corner. She sat on his left side and Elise pulled a chair over to his right.

He looked up in confusion. “Um, hi?”

“Afternoon. We just thought we’d have a little chat about your business.”

“Look, they’re just sugar and limestone. I didn’t expect so many people to think they actually worked.”

“We know. We’ve already looked in to it. All we want is to know where you’ve been getting this limestone.”

“What? Why?”

Elise leaned forward. “You know what asbestos is, don’t you?”

“Yea.”

“Do you know where it comes from?”

“Not really.”

“It’s mined from certain rocks.”

“Oh… Oh shit! No. I didn’t know. My mate said the limestone wouldn’t hurt anyone. We even boiled it before we crushed it down.”

“Listen, calm down. We just need to stop these pills from getting out any further. Ok?”

“Yea, of course. I can give you all the addresses and stuff of people I sent them to and you can have what I’ve got left. Am I gonna get sick?”

“You should be ok unless you’ve been taking them too.”

“No. No I haven’t. I… Right. I can show you where I got the rocks from then I can get the rest.”

“Ok. Calm down. Let’s just start with where you found them, yea?”

Ricky showed the agents to a small garden with a pond half excavated. Gwen let him gather the rest on his own, knowing that he’d had the fear of god put into him. As soon as he was gone Elise knelt down and started gathering the stones. 

“So, what was that about asbestos?” Asked Gwen, placing a containment box next to her. 

Elise shrugged. “I thought it was pretty believable. It was nonsense, but believable.” 

“No complaints here.”

“I wonder how the liquid computers got into these. Seems a bit soft to be from a meteorite.”

“Who knows. Maybe something was carrying them and died.” 

“If something died there wouldn’t we find bones?”

“Weevil whisperer and alien archaeologist? I don’t think Ianto would be too impressed about having to add more job titles to your personnel file.”

Elise laughed. “I’m going to have the longest profile in Torchwood history.” She dug into the earth to make sure she hadn’t missed any when she found what looked like a large, round piece. Pulling it out she realised Gwen had been right about something dying. It wasn’t a rock at all. She lifted the skull up and held it out.

“Definitely not rocks then.” 

“It explains a lot though.” Elise slipped the skull into the box. “That’s the last bit from here. Should we go and see if Ricky’s gathered what he’s got?”

“Yes. Then we can get home. Hopefully before Jack and Iantos little hunting date.”

Sitting in the SUV of an evening wasn’t Iantos favourite thing to do but spending time with Jack made it worth it. They didn’t need to fill the time, just sitting quietly was enjoyable. A soft breeze blew through a gap in the window.

“Dinner after this?” Asked Jack, leaning on the steering wheel. 

“Where would you like to go?”

“I could cook.”

He paused for a moment, a little caught off guard. “You never cook.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t. I just don’t usually see the point.”

“I warn you, I’m a fussy eater.” 

“I know. You think I don’t pay attention.”

“You can’t blame me. I moved your desk last week and you didn’t notice until yesterday.”

“In my defence I thought that happened Tuesday night.”

Ianto stifled a chuckle, looking away to hide the fact that his face was going red.

“I have to admit I never realised what the energy my immortality comes from did before.”

“How could you not?”

“I was never on the other side of it before. It…”

“Takes your breath away.”

“Think this could wait an hour or so?”

“Jack.”

“Two hours?”

“Jack.”

“Three? Ok. I’m up for it if you are.”

Ianto rolled his eyes and pointed out of the window to the top of the hill where the creature stood against the setting sun.

“Oh, now I’m annoyed.” Grumbled Jack before he hopped out of the SUV.

The large creature turned, scraping at the earth with its cloven hooves, expanding the frill around its head in anger. Jack lined up a shot, knowing that capturing the thing wouldn’t be possible. Just as it began to charge he felt a burning pain shoot down his arm, hit from behind. He threw himself out of the way as the creature stabbed its stinger into the earth where he’d been standing. He hadn’t even heard a shot but he was definitely bleeding. Ianto carefully made his way around the back of the SUV so he wouldn’t be seen, crouching next to Jack. 

“What happened? Where did that hit me from?” The captain asked, not taking his eyes off the angry beast. 

“I don’t know. There’s nowhere behind us for a sniper to hide.”

The Xzenterion hissed and stomped its hooves, getting ready to charge again. Ianto fired three shots into it, hoping one would drop the beast. The first shot missed but the other two hit it in its chest. It skidded across the grass, kicking its legs in its death throes. Finally it lay still. 

Both men looked up to the roof of the SUV, hearing someone clapping. 

A middle aged gentleman sat on top of the vehicle with an amused smile on his face. His eyes gleamed green even in the ebbing light. 

“Very good. A quick death but a little easy, don’t you think? A good hunt needs prey with a little more intelligence.” The man brought up his black walking stick and mimed aiming a rifle.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the figure. “Solomon.”

“So she told you my name… Or at least the name I’m using. She was fun. I didn’t appreciate you and your little friends killing my children. I figured a shot in the arm was a fair trade, don’t you think Captain?”

“Is that all?”

“Oh no, not all. I just thought I’d warn you before I lose my temper. Stay out of my way if you value your life. You may have stopped that beast Abaddon but I am much more direct in my influence.”

“Leave humanity alone and we won’t have a problem.”

“How is Elise, by the way? Well I hope. I wouldn’t want my future vessel to be in anything but perfect condition.”

“Stay away from her!”

Solomon laughed sharply. “Or what? You’ll kill me? Better men than you have tried.”

“I’ll find a way.”

“I look forward to seeing you fail. And when you do I have such delicious plans for you. You too Mr Jones. It’s funny, you’re the only one she’s ever told what I did to her last time we had some time together. Not that she remembers that it was me. That bitch Rofocale made sure of that to dampen the effect a little. I won’t be interrupted th-” 

Ianto shot the figure between the eyes, barely holding his anger back. Solomon sat back up, black blood running down his face, and grinned. 

“Temper temper. Nice to know who has the restraint in the couple. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your … Trophy? See you soon.” He waved before fading away. 


End file.
